A New Story with Some Old Faces
by thegirlallthevampireswant
Summary: The first chapter is a prologue, it helps you get what's happening.
1. Prologue: Everything You Need to Know

**Prologue: Everything You Need to Know**

-August 13, 2003-

"Giles are you sure Buffy's going to want to train this slayer?" Willow asked as they approached the plain house.

"It's not a matter of want, but a sense of duty," he answered her. She nodded even though she was sure Buffy would be upset about this.

Giles raptly knocked on the door and braced himself for a meeting that he was sure would be tense. The light came on inside and the door slowly opened. A dark blonde man and a brunette stared at Giles and Willow.

"Good evening, my name is Rupert Giles and I'm here to speak with your daughter, Mrs. Summers," he greeted formally.

"You want to talk to Wednesday? But, she's only six-years-old," the woman answered. Willow rolled her eyes. This woman was more of a loser than she had been giving her daughters these awful names.

"No, I meant your older daughter," he took a file folder from Willow, and in disbelief said, "Morticia Abigail Nichols."

"Oh, Tish, she doesn't live here. She lives with her father in a suburb outside of Sacramento," the woman explained.

"Can we have her address?" Willow impatiently asked. She knew they should have just done a locator spell.

"Is she in trouble?" Mr. Summers finally spoke. Willow looked at the man in front of her. He was her best friend's elusive father.

"No, she's not in trouble. We are looking to recruit her for a special program offered to high school girls," Willow lied.

"Oh well then, she lives at 2230 Nelson Street in Ruby Park, California," Mr. Summers rattled off, "Now if you'll excuse us, we have things to do." He shut the door in their faces and Willow briefly thought about magicking an earthquake to happen inside their house.

"They were pleasant," Giles commented as he removed his glasses and wiped them with a beige cloth.

"It seems like not only did Buffy's dad forget about his older children, but the new Mrs. Summers has as well," Willow said with disdain.

"Yes that would appear to be the case. Well we best be on our way. We need to get to Ruby Park."

Willow nodded her head as they walked back to the car. She got lost in thoughts about how Buffy was going to react to training her stepsister.

* * *

-August 20, 2003-

"They're back!" Dawn screeched from the front window of their new home. After their house had been sucked into the closing Hellmouth, Buffy had decided they move to Cloudstown, Ohio outside of Cleveland where the second one was located.

"I guess that's another teenage girl for the horde," Buffy mentioned as she went to get the door.

The new house was larger than their home in Sunnydale, but having six extra teenaged girls was still more than Buffy wanted to deal with at the moment. But she knew why they were here; she was training them, helping them understand themselves. She sighed as she watched Willow help a dark-haired girl carry her stuff to the door and thought about how she wished she'd had a mentor when she was fifteen. The girl looked up at the house and Buffy thought she may have recognized her from somewhere.

When they had all entered the front hall, Giles decided to introduce the unknowing stepsisters.

"Buffy, this is Morticia Nichols. Morticia, this is Buffy Summers. She and Willow are responsible for activating you," Giles explained missing the glower that the younger girl had set in her features.

"Like I've said a thousand times in the car, call me Tish. I'm not going to suffer for my mother's asinine name decisions," she corrected him, and then directed her attention to Buffy, "So you're Buffy Summers. Tell your dear dad, that I say hello."

Everyone gasped and tensed. Buffy looked as if Tish had smacked her. The mention of Mr. Summers tended to be taboo in the household.

"Why would I do that?" Buffy quickly recovered and asked in a voice laced with venom.

"Well I'm sure you see him more than I see my mother ever since they got married," Tish spat back with just as much steel in her voice.

"I haven't seen my father in about seven years…" she started to respond, "Wait! Your mother is married to my dad?"

"Yes, they got married seven years ago. I haven't seen my mother since. I ended up living with my dad in Ruby Park, but apparently we have a younger half-sister, Wednesday."

"We're going to have a half-sister on Wednesday?" Buffy asked confused.

"No, we have a half-sister named Wednesday," Tish retorted. She looked at Buffy like she was dense.

"Wait, we have a half-sister named Wednesday and your name is Morticia? Who was channeling the Addams Family?" Buffy questioned with a laugh.

"My stupid mother," Tish muttered. Buffy noted that it was a sensitive subject for her. She unfolded her arms from across her chest. She had been ready to get into a verbal spar with the teenager, but it seemed useless. The girl had been abandoned by a parent just like she had.

"Can I talk to the new slayer now? It's been like ten minutes!" Dawn shouted from the living room. Buffy had told her to wait until they gave her the lowdown on the house before bombarding her.

"Uh, yeah, we'll be there in a sec Dawn!" Buffy yelled back. She glanced between Giles, Willow, and Tish. She sighed again. This was going to be interesting. Time for her younger sister to meet their slightly younger step-sister and Buffy was not prepared for any of it.

* * *

-September 7, 2004-

"Aren't you going to tell me that you're glad to see me?" Angel asked from the brightly lit doorway. Buffy fainted.

"Buffy, what's the m…" Willow had started to ask until she saw Angel standing in the sunlight.

"Hi Willow," Angel greeted softly. She stared at him in disbelief. Giles had told her about the Senior Partners flinging Los Angeles into Hell in May, and how no one was thought to have survived.

"Angel?" She questioned.

"Yes."

"But, it's daylight, aren't you supposed to be all burning and dusty?"

"If I were still a vampire, then yes I should be dust. However, I am no longer a vampire, and am in fact human."

"The Shanshu Prophecy?" She questioned as she levitated an unconscious Buffy to the couch in the living room. They both walked into the room together. Angel looked around and saw three girls in their late teens, but only recognized one of them.

"Angel?" Dawn questioned from her seat on the floor. "What did you do to Buffy?!"

"He didn't do anything to her Dawnie, she fainted. You would have to if you had seen Angel standing outside in the sun not turning all dusty," Willow explained. The eighteen-year-old's face looked bewildered from the explanation.

"But, Angel's a vampire," she started to say.

"Not anymore," he answered.

"Tell me about it," Willow instructed.

"After the hell breakout in L.A., something happened to me. I don't think it was the Shanshu Prophecy because I signed away my rights to it. I think it was some other Powers That Be destiny for me. Especially since I had seen Cordelia when I was supposed to die, she told me that I needed to see you, and that she would see me soon."

"I could research it," Dawn suggested. Buffy had started to come to and one of the other girls sitting on the floor went to her.

"Was…was Angel really at the door in the middle of the day?" She asked her step-sister.

"Yes, and he's really here, too. You passed out wicked hard on the front hall floor, and Will totally floated you in here. Glad to see you're okay though, Sis," Tish rambled. At the mention of the familial word Angel snapped his head to Buffy and raised an eyebrow.

"Did you acquire another key?" He asked humorously and shot Dawn a grin. She smiled back. She was long past being upset over the whole 'I haven't always been a human' thing.

"No, she's my father's new wife's other daughter," Buffy said.

"Or in a much quicker and more to the point explanation, I'm her step-sister. My name's Tish. Nice to meet you, I think," Tish said as she held out a hand for him.

"Tish?" He asked as he took her hand. It was an interesting name.

"It's short for Morticia, but we're not going to talk about that because she gets all mad and punchy about it," Buffy explained to him. Tish glowered at Buffy. "Now, back to you being here and being human."

* * *

-January 13, 2006-

"Bloody hell woman!" Spike had yelled when Buffy had punched him. He had come in through their backdoor that connected to the dining room and Buffy thought she was seeing The First all over again.

"I come back a real boy and she wants to beat me to a bloody pulp," he had said once everyone present was staring at him.

"Who's he?" Tish asked the room. Unfortunately, her question went unanswered while Willow, Kennedy, Buffy, and Dawn gawked at the man.

"Oh great, not him too," Angel said as he came in through the archway that led to the kitchen.

"I see that once again, the great poof got here before me," Spike responded to the unwelcome greeting.

"Spike, you died, twice, what the hell are you doing here?" Buffy asked a little more harshly than she meant.

"Cordelia gave me this nice visit in wherever the bloody hell I was, and told me that I was going to be a real boy and to get my ass to your new house. She said something about telling us all about it in a couple of days," he answered with a smirk.

"Okay, that's really…vague," Willow finally spoke.

"No kidding Red."

"So Buffy, now that you have both of us here, ready to make a decision?" Angel questioned.

* * *

-January 15, 2006-

Dawn sat on the back porch of the house and watched as Buffy did combat training with Tish. She had decided to put college to the side for right now. Instead, she asked Giles to be part of the new Watcher's Council and he agreed. He had assigned her to Tish. Dawn listened while he said it would be good for both of them because they already trust each other and they were close in age. He quickly lectured on that not being a good enough reason for the two of them to go out to clubs and get in trouble together. Dawn had giggled and Tish had said something about her big sis not letting her go to clubs. She had almost forgotten that she was a year older than Tish and was considered a big sister until Tish had mentioned it.

Dawn continued to watch as Tish did a roundhouse kick into a bag Buffy had set up for her. Her thoughts went to different things. Her main worry was how the household was tense right now. Buffy was working out with Tish because Cordelia and Willow had done a Powers That Be ritual that activated Angel and Spike (as humans) into the new male form of a slayer. They were to be known as hunters. Cordelia had given the Scoobies birth certificates, driver's licenses, social security cards, and other various identifiers for the two newly human men. Dawn had been shocked to learn that two more besides them would be called upon and they would end up at their door.

"As if we don't have enough problems here," she muttered to herself as she watched Buffy try to get a jab in on Tish. "Good block Tish!" She yelled once Tish had successfully evaded getting hit. The problems Dawn referred to, in no specific order, were: Spike and Angel were currently passed out from the ritual, both were fighting over Buffy non-stop since they walked through the door (as humans), and Tish was going to have her first mission in Cloudstown soon. Dawn didn't have time for two random men to show up and have to be trained by Angel and Spike while they were bickering over Buffy. She sighed and wrote in her Watcher's journal. It was just another day as a Scooby.


	2. Chapter 1: The Mission

**Chapter One: The Mission**

-January 17, 2006-

The mission, those were the words that Tish was pretty sure she was not ready to hear. Giles, Buffy, and Dawn had all told her that she was ready to do this. She didn't believe them. Buffy had given her this speech about how girls that were younger than her had helped her defeat The First in Sunnydale, and Tish caved. How could she argue with someone who had a better case than she did? She couldn't and so here she was walking to a hidden cave in a weird cemetery. Two people had been found dead outside its opening two days ago, and now it was her mission to find out what was in it. And all she could think, _Yay for me!_ Tish had been equipped with an axe and a stake.

She inched closer to the opening. Growls and snarls could be heard from within the cave. _Please let it die from an axe or a _stake, she thought before she headed into the unknown.

XXXXXXXXXX

At the same time Tish had set out into the night to destroy whatever evil lurked in that cave, Dawn, Buffy, Giles, Willow, Xander, Angel, and Spike were greeting Rookwood Michaels. Rook, as he called himself, was the third hunter. Buffy had sighed as she opened the door to the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, heir.

"Really? This is what the Powers That Be give me? I have two ex-vamps that are more interested in fighting over me, and now I get a snobby baby millionaire. I quit!" Buffy said in the living room during her private conference with Xander, Willow, Giles, and Dawn. Dawn tried to suppress a giggle, but how could she? It was kind of funny when Buffy said it that way.

"Now, Buffy, the Powers That Be, have their own reasoning for everything," Giles tried to reason with her.

"Yeah, Buff, the Powers That Be have a reason. Personally, I think it's to drive me insane," Xander said sarcastically. Dawn held Xander's hand. It had to be hard to see two vamps that he totally hated become these important slayer recruits, and he still was just the guy with the eye patch that made witty comments.

"So how did we end up with Rookwood Michaels?" Kennedy asked as she entered the room from the dining room.

"You know him?" Willow asked.

"Sure, his summer home in the Hamptons is near my family's," she answered nonchalantly.

"He has a summer home in the Hamptons?" Buffy asked. She was bewildered at the idea of having a second home for just one season. Then again, she used to live in California where most people wanted to be year-round.

"He has a Christmas home in the South of France, too. They're a little more well-off than we were," Kennedy explained.

The conversation was put on-hold when Dawn's cell phone rang.

"It's Tish," she informed the room. She flipped it open and greeted her step-sister, "Hello?"

"Dawn! Dawn! If you can hear me, then send someone!" Everyone heard the girl yell before the line was cut-off.

"Where was she?" Buffy asked while heading up the stairs to the room that housed all their weapons.

"Giles had me give her the cave in the cemetery. You know, the one that had the dead bodies outside of it," Dawn said as she followed Buffy up the stairs.

"What the bloody hell is going on out here?" Spike asked as he and Angel reached the bottom of the staircase that was in the living room.

"Spike, not right now!" Buffy yelled from the top. Unfortunately, neither man listened as both were soon right behind her.

"Listen, I'll deal with you two when I get back, but right now I have to go save my sister."

"Niblet's here," he answered.

"If you had been paying any attention when you got here, then you would have noticed the third slayer roaming around the house," Angel mentioned.

"I was paying attention. I saw her. Dark brown hair, eyes that don't know if they're brown or green, shorter than Buffy, she gets bloody pissed when you eat the last oatmeal raisin biscuit. What does she have to do with Niblet?"

Angel shook his head. "She's Buffy and Dawn's step-sister. They get along really well. They've taken to calling her sister."

"Oh," he said in realization. "Well then we should come, too."

"No, Spike, you and Angel need to stay here and help this new hunter. We'll be back in a few hours. Tell everyone else what's going on and to be ready to fix the wounded when we get back," she commanded.

Spike glared, but headed back downstairs. Angel gave her one last look that asked 'are you sure' and she whispered yes. He nodded and went back down to the others.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Shit! Buffy's going to kill me for losing that cell phone!" Tish yelled at the yellow bird-like demon in front of her. There were a total of five of them. They were about three feet taller than her and blocking the exit. She had gone for the heart, hacked off their heads, yet all five were still alive. Two of them had thrown her back into the wall when she tried to call Dawn. That's how her cell phone went flying somewhere.

"How the hell do you Satanic Big Birds die?" She questioned as she went up against another. It threw her back again and she heard a crack in her left arm. _That's going to hurt tomorrow_, she thought as she tried to get herself in a standing position. It was a futile effort. She was sure that the demon was going to kill her, and silently apologized to Buffy for being a lousy slayer.

Suddenly, Tish heard two thumps. She looked to where the noise had come from and noticed Buffy and Dawn wielding weapons.

"Tish, are you alright?" Dawn asked.

"Something's wrong with my left arm, but that's about it. These things won't die. I've chopped off their heads and they came back. Also, I got them in the hearts, yet they still live!" Tish yelled from her position on the cave floor. Buffy swung at one of them, but it dodged it and tried to get her back.

"Alright, well we're going to Plan B, which is get you the hell out of here and figure out what these evil Big Birds are," Buffy said as she gestured for Dawn to help Tish stand. Dawn quickly got to her and helped her back to the cave entrance. Buffy held off the demon birds but only long enough for her to make it to the opening as well.

"Did you have any idea what was in there?" Buffy asked once the three of them were on their street. Tish shook her head.

"Giles told me to send her in on a recon assignment," Dawn said.

"Either he thinks she has super demon-recognition powers, or he really thought there were just vamps in that cave," Buffy mentioned as she came into the house. Everyone in the house pounced as soon as the three women entered.

"What happened?"

"How hurt is she?"

"What was it?"

"Who is she?"

The last question was from Rook as he stared at Tish like he was a cat and she was the canary. Buffy would have punched him in the face if she wasn't more concerned about fixing Tish's arm.

"Okay I'll answer these quick and then I'm taking her upstairs because her arm needs to heal. She went to the cave that was in the news with the bodies a few days ago. Her left arm has some injuries, but other than that she's not badly hurt. It was some sort of demonic Big Bird. And she is my step-sister so you can stop looking at her like she's candy," Buffy replied. Xander and Will nodded going straight to the books and computer to search for demons that looked like Big Bird. Dawn and Buffy went upstairs with Tish to set her arm and let her get some rest. Kennedy gave Giles a look that said 'good luck' and followed Willow into the office. Giles had taken off his glasses to wipe them, while Angel and Spike stood with him to await Buffy's return to the room.

* * *

-January 18, 2006-

"Giles! You had Dawn send her out there without knowing what she was up against. I couldn't have survived those things if I went out there alone!" Tish heard Buffy yell. She was sitting on her bed in her room, healing, but she could still hear the war going on in the living room.

"You're looking better," said a voice from the doorway.

"Slayers heal fast, or so I'm told," Tish answered Rook warily. She remembered how Buffy had snapped at him last night over something.

"Well that's a job perk," he stated as he inched slowly into the room.

"I brought movies and cookies!" Dawn interrupted at the perfect moment. Tish was grateful for it.

"I'm sure Giles is very happy at the idea of a slayer and her watcher sitting around her bed watching bad comedy movies," Tish mentioned sarcastically as she watched Rook retreat back to the door. He exited and Tish gave her attention back to Dawn.

"Hey! Buffy will be up in a minute after she's done telling Giles how wrong it was for me to send you to that cave. Which I am sorry about," Dawn said as she gave the bag of oatmeal raisin cookies to Tish.

"I'm just glad she's not mad that I let her down," Tish said as she bit into the cookie goodness.

"No, those devil birds were pretty tough. Buffy said it was a pretty hard task for her to fight them and she has had years of this stuff and The First," Dawn said thoughtfully.

"Talking about me?" Buffy questioned as she entered the room.

"Telling Tish that you're not let-down by what happened yesterday," Dawn explained as she set up the movie.

"Oh, no, I'm not upset with you. Giles should never have told Dawn to send you. Sometimes he forgets everything being the head of the new Watcher's Council. But, don't worry; he's on his way to England in a few days. I think he needs some time with the other slayers. I told him to find someone who could handle Rook as their hunter. I really don't like having him here," Buffy chatted as the previews flashed on the television screen. If this had been a couple years earlier, then she would have just told Tish she had to get over it. However, Buffy knew that with so many more slayers now, she didn't have to send inexperienced ones to their death. Girls had been training ever since that day. Giles and Willow had found most of them and either sent them to Buffy or sent them to one of the three training facilities. One facility was in downtown Cloudstown. Buffy wasn't taking any chances with a second Hellmouth. The second facility was in England, and the third was in Tokyo. Giles had found some remaining members of the old Watcher's Council to head up all three of them. The one in their new hometown was run by her, Giles, Xander, Will, Dawn, and Andrew.

The three women spent more time talking than watching any of the movies, and soon Tish was asking questions that Buffy wasn't sure she could answer.

"No, really, you have both of them here. They're both fighting over you. Either you haven't decided yet, or you have and you don't want to hurt the other one," Tish said as she looked at Buffy seriously.

"You're pretty insightful for a nineteen-year-old," Buffy said trying to switch the subject.

"Nope, you're not getting out of this. So what's the answer big sis?" Tish asked.

"Fine, I have decided, but the one I have to hurt, well I loved him too. I really did, but in the end, when I was done baking, my choice was already made."

"What she means is she chose Angel," Dawn translated for Tish. Tish nodded. It was kind of obvious. They were different around each other than they were with anyone in the house. Hell, the greetings that Buffy had given both of them could have told you who was going to win in the end.

"Well, isn't it convenient that the Powers That Be assigned him as your hunter? Maybe, they knew more about you two than you two did," Tish mentioned. Buffy nodded sadly. Listening to Tish made her realize that the inevitable needed to happen and soon.

"Buffy? I know that you get to make all the final decisions on this hunter thing, but I was wondering if you would think about assigning Spike to Tish. I think this way we'll have another experienced person with her, and something like yesterday doesn't happen again," Dawn requested. Buffy thought about it for a few minutes, and decided that it would be the best place for him. She nodded to Dawn who said yes excitedly and then thought of the reasons it would be good choice. He'd have Dawnie, someone he knew, and he could get to know Tish. She was going to be a strong slayer one day. She just had to get over this overwhelming lack of self-confidence.

* * *

-January 22, 2006-

Buffy's birthday party had not gone as happily as Dawn and Tish wanted. Buffy had decided that her twenty-fifth birthday was the best time to tell Angel and Spike her decision, Robin Wood and Faith showed up because the former was chosen as a hunter, and three newly sired vampires decided to attack a neighbor.

"Have we found anything on these psycho birds?" Buffy asked Willow and Xander. The three of them plus Dawn and Tish were in the office.

"If these are them," Willow said holding up a picture of eight-foot yellow demons with beaks for confirmation, "then yes, we know about them."

Tish, Dawn, and Buffy nodded at the picture.

"Nurturers: demons that use female human blood, baby pig tails, and their own eggs to open a demon portal that they use to send humans as food to Nipper demons," she read from the book.

"The other two bodies were dumped, why?" Buffy asked.

"It says here that the portal won't open unless the pigs' tails are from a pig that is less than four months old. I don't know about you guys, but I can't tell what age a pig is if I don't know when it was born," Xander commented.

"So is this apocalyptic, because I really don't have time for that," Buffy quipped. She thought about Angel gloating (he was too cheery as a human she missed his dark brooding), Spike pouting somewhere, Robin testing Spike's patience, and trying to get Rook out of their house.

"No, not apocalyptic, but bad for whatever people they send into that demony place," Willow answered cheerfully.

"Okay, this is all good, but I couldn't kill them. Is there anything on that?" Tish asked impatiently and Buffy nodded her head approvingly. Tish had learned one of the first rules of slaying: find out how to kill it and do it quickly.

"Not anything on killing them, but if you sent them through their portal, lock it with male human blood, then they can't return. Nippers need them to open and close the portal."

"Okay, so we wait until they've opened it, and then we get them in there, and close it with one of the many males' blood in this house," Buffy said. Everyone nodded at the plan because it sounded easy enough. However, Buffy knew that even the easiest plans were hard to do when the supernatural was involved.

"Now to deal with the chaos within this house," she said as she headed to the kitchen. She found Robin, Faith, and Rook there.

"Okay, listen, obviously Angel and Spike are humans which means that you do not get to exact revenge," she sternly said to Robin and continued, "You will train for four weeks at the facility downtown. After those four weeks, you are going to be assigned to a slayer. You will work with that slayer wherever they are assigned. You are there to help her. Don't get in her way, don't complain, and don't compromise her mission. Got it?" Buffy lectured.

"Wow, B, I thought speech-giving you had long passed?" Faith bantered with a smile.

"No, it's gotten worse with being in control of all slayer happenings. Whenever you think you've repented enough, you could always help," Buffy retorted.

Faith nodded with a look that said 'yeah like it's ever going to happen.' She finished making her omelet and headed to the dining room. A few minutes after she left, Robin followed her, and Buffy was left in the kitchen with Rook. She stared at him and thought about his behavior as of late. He was giving a lot of attention to Tish and some to Dawn. It made her uncomfortable. Dawn and Tish were old enough to choose boyfriends and date, but something about Rook dating one of them seemed unsettling. Buffy was even more unnerved when Tish entered the room and Rook's eyes went straight to her and lingered.

Tish watched as Rook stared at her and Buffy glared at him. It was amusing. Tish had dressed for a day gallivanting at the mall. Her dark wash jeans, red camisole, and sheer black over-shirt suited her well. Her long dark locks were pulled back into a ponytail. Her mission at the mall was to get some desperately needed new sweat pants for her time at the training facility. Her current two pairs had seen better days and it was time to put them to rest.

"What are you doing today?" Buffy asked as if she were reading Tish's thoughts.

"I'm going to the mall. I really need new training sweats," she answered while pouring a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios.

"Please get something other than those obnoxious colors you already have," Buffy joked. She never thought someone's training clothes could be so loud until Tish showed. Her two pairs of training sweats had been neon orange and neon green respectively.

"Are you kidding? Those are my power colors!"

"Oh please, they're awful."

"My money, my choice," Tish responded.

"It won't be your choice if I installed a dress code at the facility," Buffy said.

"You wouldn't do that. It would take away from the individuality of each slayer," Tish mocked Buffy.

"Oh shut up!" Buffy said throwing her banana peel at the younger girl.

The light-hearted mood of the step-siblings was soon dissipated by the entrance of Angel and Spike. They both looked irritable. Tish assumed that either they were adjusting to a human's proper sleeping pattern, or the awkwardness of their situation with Buffy. Tish was putting her money on the second option.

"Good morning Tish. Hey Buffy," Angel greeted them. Spike glowered at Angel's obvious cheeriness.

"Hello and goodbye, this is my cue to take this delicious bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios to the dining room. Good luck with the tension," Tish cleverly remarked and headed towards the dining room but not before adding, "And Spike, don't eat all the oatmeal raisin cookies!"

Buffy frowned at Tish's bluntness and sighed as she left the kitchen.

"Can we not do this today?" She asked with a bit of desperation in her voice.

"We're not doing anything, Slayer. I'm just going to take these biscuits and join the lot of them in the other room," Spike drawled in a way that suggested he was irritated. He grabbed the oatmeal raisin cookie package, and went out the same way Tish had.


	3. Chapter 2: Warriors

**Chapter Two: Warriors**

-January 25, 2006-

"So we're out to get Big Bird is it?" Spike asked as he walked with Tish to the same cave she had entered a few nights earlier.

"Yeah, we're going to push them into their own portal and then we lock it with your blood."

"I thought Red said that they take a few tries to get this portal open because of the pigs' tails. How do we know they'll have it open tonight?" He asked with a grimace. He really didn't like the idea of having Little Slayer cut him for a few drops of his human blood.

"There was an article in the newspaper about the new-born pigs at the petting zoo this morning. Last night they were slaughtered and their tails were removed. Since they're newborns that means they're definitely under four months old. They are doing this tonight," Tish said with an authority that mocked Buffy's. Spike shook his head. She was going to be a pain in the ass just like Buffy. He could tell. It was probably because Buffy was training this one as her protégé because of the familial ties.

The rest of the walk they were both quiet. Each was lost in their thoughts. Spike continued his internal rant on Buffy and the Little Slayer, as he called Tish, while Tish thought about how she was going to screw this up this time. Tish broke the silence once the cave was in sight.

"That's it," she whispered and pointed. Spike nodded, and gestured for her to lead the way. Tish was feeling a bit queasy, but it went undetected as she walked with her head held high into the belly of the beast.

She and Spike snuck in undetected and the portal was already beginning to open. A helpless girl lay bleeding on the cave's floor, and two others were tied together towards the back. Once the portal had opened fully, Tish went into warrior mode and immediately kicked two into it. Spike followed her out of the shadows and into battle. He started to jab and push at one of the monsters to get it closer to the portal. _I really need to start this training bit. I've gotten rusty becoming a real boy,_ he thought to himself as he led a demon towards the portal. He gave it one final kick to the chest and it flung backwards.

"That leaves two, Little Slayer," he said to Tish. While the other two were preoccupied with Spike she untied the other two girls and told them to help their friend out of there. She then proceeded to help Spike finish sending the satanic Big Birds into the portal. Once all five were in there, she took out a small dagger and gestured for Spike to hold out his hand. He did, hesitantly. She pricked a tiny spot on his middle finger and let him give the portal five drops of blood. The portal closed and Tish let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

"You did fine," Spike reassured her. He knew that she had been worried that she would mess this up again.

"Thanks," she responded, "Sorry about the blood thing."

Spike told her not to worry about it and that they should head back to the house.

They travelled back to the house in silence. Tish entered with a bit of a smile. She actually had done it. She wondered if Buffy's faith in her wasn't misplaced after all.

"You're back?" Buffy asked. She assessed the brunette, looking for injuries. When she didn't spot any, she gave Tish a wide, proud smile.

"Yeah, I did it. I didn't even hurt Spike too much!" Tish rambled in delight.

"I told you," Buffy said to her. Buffy hadn't doubted Tish at all. She was good and may even be the person Buffy let take over in her leave when the time came.

"How'd it go?" Xander asked.

"Followed Willow's instructions and won," Tish answered.

"That's our girl," he responded with a clap on her back. She spent a few more minutes basking in her first victory before deciding she was tired.

"Well time to sleep. I have a five-hour training session tomorrow," she announced. She pulled the dagger from its place at her side and handed it to Buffy. Buffy pushed it away and shook her head.

"Keep it, you've earned it. Officially your weapon," Buffy told her. Tish was grateful and took the weapon with her upstairs.

She went to her room. Once inside, she picked out pajamas to take with to the bathroom she shared with Dawn. In the bathroom, she carefully wiped the dagger, set it aside, and began to wash her face. The evening's events still had her reeling. She let the lukewarm water calm her as she cupped it to her face. Tish was not used to being good at something. She did well in high school, but nothing to shout from the rooftops. With her nighttime routine finished, she threw on the silver satin camisole and matching pants. The set had been a birthday present from her mother a year ago. Presents were the only correspondence they had.

A knock at her door made her leave the comfortable haven of her bed to open it. Spike was on the other side holding a bag of oatmeal raisin cookies. Tish suddenly felt very exposed.

"Figured you'd need a biscuit to calm you before bed," he said as he walked past her into the room. "I could get used to this going where I please bit."

"As opposed to the 'needing an invitation to invade a girl's privacy' lifestyle?" Tish sarcastically asked.

"Oh right, sorry about that," he apologized and offered her a cookie. She took one and ate it with immense satisfaction. Spike watched as she enjoyed the sweet as if it were her last meal. He was almost certain that if he were still a soulless vampire, that simple act would have been her undoing. "You really do enjoy these?"

"They're my favorite," she simply said as she took another from the bag. Spike took that moment to really study her. He'd been here for about two weeks and just now decided to notice her beyond annoying her by eating all of the biscuits.

"So Little Slayer how did you end up here?" He inquired.

"Giles and Willow came to my door about three years ago. They said they were recruiting me for some special program. It turns out that the sudden bout of strength and whatnot that I got a little after my sixteenth birthday in May happened to be my activation. Willow was all worried that Buffy wouldn't want anything to do with me because Mr. Summers is married to my mother. However, it turned out that I hadn't seen my mother in the same amount of time that Buffy and Dawn hadn't seen their dad and we bonded over that. I came here, and there were other girls here, but soon they left, because their training was done. I was the only one that Buffy trained personally. Normally, we're supposed to work with the equipment and Andrew at the facility, but Buffy said she was going to train me," she explained and then added, "Why do you call me Little Slayer?"

Sometime during Tish's explanation the two had ended up sitting. Tish sat on the edge of her bed. Spike sat in a chair that faced Tish. He set the package between them. Before answering he leaned in close to Tish and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Because you remind me of Buffy the most and in my mind she'll always be The Slayer," he answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

In the hallway, Buffy listened to the exchange. She heard Spike answer the question and knew that eventually he would heal. Buffy's face fell when she finally stepped into the doorway and noticed just how intimate the setting looked. They were leaned in close and Spike had just pulled his hand away from Tish's face. She stepped into the room and both of them snapped up straight and looked at her.

"I just wanted to tell you again that you did well. Don't forget I'll see you tomorrow at the facility at eight," Buffy said to Tish. She sent Spike an 'I have to talk to you' look and he got up to follow her out of the room.

"Good night Little Slayer, save me a biscuit."

When they were in the hallway, Buffy spoke to him.

"Well you're getting along well with her," she said with a hint of teasing in her voice.

"She's a good kid," Spike answered not sure where this conversation was headed.

"She's not really a kid, Spike. She's the same age I was when you fell in love with me. I really think she's going to be the best. Maybe even better than me, this is why I've decided that if you want to be her hunter, then I'll assign you to her. I'm giving you the choice to turn it down. Not because I feel bad for loving Angel, but because I love you in a way that isn't what you want," she explained to him.

"She could never be better than you, love. And let me think about it," he replied. Spike didn't wait for her to acknowledge his response. He went down the hall to his room and left her standing there staring at his back. Spike needed to get away from her. Also, he needed to think about what she had said. Buffy was right about a few things. One of those things was that Tish was not a kid, and he knew that. He watched as she fought. Spike considered her to be the most like Buffy in every way. She was the one that would match Buffy as a warrior and a leader, another thing that Buffy had right. However, he was unsure if she could ever be better than Buffy, but Buffy tended to be right a lot of the time. He surmised that she probably would be on this, too. The final thing was that he knew that Buffy loved him, but it just wasn't in the same way that he loved her or more than she loved Angel.

* * *

-January 26, 2006-

"I thought I said no more obnoxious colors?" Buffy asked the next morning when she met with Tish at the training facility.

"And, I thought I told you it was my money," Tish replied as she looked down at the new sweats she was wearing. They were bright orange and electric blue.

Buffy used that moment to try to attack Tish, but she was quick to block and throw the older slayer down. Buffy was shocked. None of the other girls had been able to do that, but they also never trained with her one-on-one.

They continued for the next two hours, uninterrupted. Buffy noticed that Tish was getting more confident in her attacks. Around ten, Buffy and Tish stopped for long gulps from their water bottles.

"You seem so much more confident today. Why is that?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know. I think it's just that I did a job well done last night," she responded in a half-truth. The other part was that Spike had told her that she reminded him the most of Buffy. That was an ego booster and a half. No one was like Buffy. Buffy was amazing and the rest of them, including her, were all peons. Buffy's planning had defeated The First. Tish respected that Buffy was The Slayer, but she was excited to know that she was even a smidge as talented as her older stepsister.

"You did, and I'm proud. Alright, an hour break, and then our last two and a half hours will be weapons training," Buffy announced. Tish nodded her head.

"Want to grab something to eat?" Tish asked.

Buffy shook her head, "No, I want to go check on our sorry bunch of hunters."

"Oh," Tish answered and then followed Buffy to the second biggest training room in the building. The four men were sparring with one another. It was Angel versus Spike and Robin versus Rook.

"This is not going to end well," she whispered to Tish.

"Well then we should go stop it before it has to end," Tish suggested. Buffy nodded and stepped forward into the room.

"You're training well," she announced to them and all four men stopped moving to pay attention. Angel smiled, Spike glowered, Rook smirked, and Robin was the only one who looked respectful. "I was thinking we could do alternate training sessions with the hunters as well. I train with Tish four days a week. So two of those days we can work with one pair and the other pair could be the other two days."

"What?" Tish asked confused. Buffy never mentioned this idea to her.

"Oh sorry, thinking out loud, but I think it would be a great thing to do. Especially working with Spike and Angel because they can tell you how vamps think when they fight," Buffy said. Originally the thought appeared in her head to prevent the men from killing each other, but now it seemed like it would be a great training tool for all. "Plus, hunters are meant to help slayers, so knowing a slayer's fighting style and thought process can help in battle."

Tish thought it over, it made sense. This was why they were all peons and Buffy was amazing. She was a leader. She nodded to Buffy.

"Well with that settled. I work with Tish again in tomorrow. Angel and Robin will work with us. This means that you two should train together," Buffy informed the men. They nodded, and returned to their sparring, but with the aforementioned change in partners.

* * *

-January 30, 2006-

Tish got home from another five hours of training at the facility. She was tired, but wasn't ready to sleep.

"I want to do something fun," she whispered to herself. Halfway through getting undressed, Tish decided she wanted to shower and then go somewhere. It was six o'clock on a Monday; surely she could find something to do.

Her shower left her feeling refreshed. She towel-dried her hair, put on some light make up and dressed. Tish would find Dawn and the two of them would do something together. She found Dawn in Xander's room, which was not a surprise since the two were slowly turning into an item.

"What's up?" Dawn asked from the futon in Xander's room.

"I was wondering if you'd want to go do something. I'm tired of just hanging out here," Tish responded. Dawn looked at Xander and he nodded his head.

"Sure, I'll be right down," she responded. Tish took that as an exit cue and headed down the front stairs. It was then that Rook happened to walk through the front hall.

"Hey, looking good," he said as his eyes scanned over her lacy black camisole and low-rise jeans.

"Yeah, thanks," Tish answered not really caring about his opinion.

"What you think just because you're The Slayer's little stepsister that you're too good for everyone else?" He asked in a malicious tone. Tish's eyes went wide.

"No, I am just not interested in dating you," Tish replied once her shock from his random anger faded.

He leaned in close to her, putting her up against the door, and whispered, "Why not?"

"I don't date," she replied pushing hard on his chest and sending him flying forward. He crashed into the stairs. Everyone in the house came running when they heard the noise.

"What the hell is going on?" Buffy asked as she looked between her sister and the hunter who annoyed her most.

"She pushed me across the room because I said she looked nice," Rook immediately accused.

"Whatever," Tish responded because she thought everyone would believe him, "I'm going out." Buffy followed Tish outside.

"Tish, I don't believe him. What really happened?" She asked. Tish stopped and took a breath. She wasn't used to people believing her. High school and been full of people that would blame her for things who got away with it.

"He sort of threatened me because I don't want to date him. I pushed him because of it," she responded.

"Go ahead and go out. Cool off. I'll see you when you get home. I'll take care of this," Buffy responded as she gave Tish a hug. Tish smiled. Buffy understood her more than she thought.

Buffy went back into the house and stared daggers at Rook. Angel came to her side. Spike was in the doorway that led to the dining room. Dawn and Xander stood at the top of the stairs. Willow and Kennedy were in the doorway across from Spike.

"Listen here you spoiled brat rich kid. This isn't some summer camp where you can get upset when the girl doesn't like you back. This is real stuff that can get you killed so you either stop chasing my sister like a dog in heat or you get the hell out. I don't need your crap when I'm trying to keep this place safe," she said to Rook. He was lying on the bottom step with a badly bruised cheek. Buffy took Angel's hand and led him around Rook up the stairs.

"She means it you know," Kennedy assured him before following Willow back to their room in the basement. Dawn nodded down at him before turning away with Xander right behind her. Spike stood there looking down at him. Rook didn't know if he was staring like that because he didn't have someone to leave with like the others or if it was because he had something to say to him. Rook noted how Spike reacted to Tish. He was certain that Spike wasn't aware of his own reactions because he thought he was still in love with Buffy. However, Rook knew it was there. He watched the way Spike watched her. She was better than some ex-vampire. Rook believed he was the right choice for her.

* * *

-February 3, 2006-

The incident with Rook blew over quickly, but it was not forgotten. Tish could feel him watching her more intensely. She wondered if it had something to do with being a challenge. She was glad that today's training session was with Angel and Robin.

"Are you alright?" Angel asked her as she sat in a corner stretching.

"Yes," Tish answered half-heartedly.

"Okay," he responded walking away from her and toward the middle of the sparring mat. Tish followed once she was done stretching. It had been a long week.


	4. Chapter 3: Tenebrarum

**Chapter Three: Tenebrarum**

-February 14, 2006-

"I bloody hate this day," Spike mumbled as he sat on a bench in the main room of the training facility. He looked at the mat where Tish, Buffy, Poof and Principal Boy were sparring. Spike watched as Buffy and Tish moved as one. Spike remembered the days of The First and the training then, Buffy had never moved as one with any of those girls. He found it remarkable that she did now. He wondered if it was the familial ties, Tish's skills, or something else that made Buffy work with her so well.

Rook watched the people in front of him. He had thought that trying to date Tish would get him assigned as her Hunter, but she was not interested. Rook had to come up with a new plan. He walked slowly over to the blonde vampire on the bench.

"Have you been assigned yet?" Rook asked Spike as he sat down next to him. Spike glanced at Rook. He didn't trust the bloke.

"No," was all Spike answered as he stood. It was the truth. Buffy had not assigned him, she had offered him a choice of assignment.

Buffy announced the end of the training day. Tish walked away from Buffy and Angel as they made their way to the locker rooms. Tish hated Valentine's Day. It was a day that reminded her of how alone she was. Tish didn't forget that she had a family. Buffy, Dawn, Willow…they were all her family, but it wasn't a familial loneliness. Tish shook her head. She wasn't going to think about that.

Tish, Spike, and Rook drove back to the house. The ride was uncomfortable. Tish could feel Rook looking at her. She didn't know if that was Slayer senses or just knowing that he liked her.

They returned to the house and they were still alone. All the couples had gone out for the evening.

"Well it looks like we're going to have to entertain ourselves tonight," Rook said as he eyed Tish. Tish tried to ignore him.

"Actually, playboy you're about to leave. Buffy made it very clear that you were not allowed to act like this with Tish," Spike said in his authoritative voice.

"What makes you think I'm going to listen to you?" The younger man asked. Spike took a step forward and Rook took a step back.

"The fact that I've been fighting for at least a century and you have been fighting for what, a bloody month."

* * *

-February 15, 2006-

Tish was glad today was a break from training. She couldn't possibly deal with Rook today. He reminded her too much of demons from her past. Tish shivered. She hated thinking about it.

A knock at her bedroom door jolted her. She shot up and went to the door. Tish was not happy to see Rook on the other side of it. _So much for not having to deal with him today,_ she thought to herself as she glared at him.

"What do you want?" She asked with malice in her voice.

"Came to ask the lady to join me for breakfast," he responded.

Tish shook her head, "No thanks. I believe I made myself clear about wanting to date you."

"Yes, but I didn't make myself clear. Asking was a formality," Rook said as he stepped forward into her room. Tish tried to shut the door on him, but he stuck the front of his foot in the door to stop it. "You can't keep me out Tish," he whispered as his eyes turned to a vibrant purple.

"What the hell?" Tish screamed. She knew it was hopeless because she was the only one home. He advanced on her and grabbed her arms.

"I know what's in this head of yours, but how about we let you see what you've forgotten," he said as his eyes changed to a black color and Tish's head flew back. Her eyes glazed over as she was sent into a memory.

_**Tish was so happy to be going to prom as a sophomore. It meant that she was important and worthwhile to someone. She let herself be girly for a few moments by twirling in the bright green dress. Her dark brown hair was up in a messy bun with curly pieces falling from it. Her usually undecided eyes reflected green from her dress.**_

"_**Tish?" She heard her dad ask through the door.**_

"_**Yeah?"**_

"_**Your date is here," he said. He looked at her. She was no longer his baby girl.**_

"_**Okay," Tish said as she grabbed the skirt of her dress to walk. She would be turning sixteen at midnight, when the dance was over. It was exciting for her.**_

_**In the living room, Devon Parks stood in a perfectly cut tux. He was the senior who had asked her to the prom. They took pictures together and said goodbye to her father. Devon walked arm-in-arm with Tish to the limousine.**_

_**The dance had been perfect. Devon had never left her side. It was when they got back into the limo that everything changed. Devon turned on her.**_

_**He started to kiss her neck and run his hands along her body. Tish removed them.**_

"_**Tish, I didn't bring you to prom not to get something out of it," Devon said as he pushed her down. She bumped her head against the seatbelt buckle. He forcefully started to pull at her beautiful dress.**_

"_**No, get off," she said helplessly. She pushed at him, clawed at him, but he ended her efforts with punches. By the time she got home that night, Tish was covered in bruises, her dress was ripped and she had been violated. She promised herself that she would never date again. She would never let someone get close to her and control her like that.**_

The memory stopped and Tish opened her eyes. Rook was on the ground on the other side of the room. She looked around for Buffy; she was certain her older sister was the one saving her from whatever he was. Instead, Spike entered her room from the bathroom holding a wet towel. Tish tried to sit up, but felt lightheaded.

"No, pet, don't move. You're bleeding a lot from the head," Spike soothed as he knelt down pressing the towel to her head. Tish watched as the towel went from white to crimson.

"Oh my god," she said in a small voice. Tish hated the sight of her own blood.

"Breathe," Spike soothed as he reached for the cell phone on Tish's nightstand. He quickly opened it and found Buffy's number. He watched as Tish started to look pale.

Buffy picked it up after one ring, "Hello, Tish?"

"Buffy, it's Spike. That arse Rook is some sort of demon. He's hurt Tish pretty bad. I need Red here to do a healing spell soon," Spike rattled quickly. Before Buffy could even tell him she was on her way Tish collapsed forward onto him. "Bloody hell, I still need to figure out what that sod was!"

* * *

-February 16, 2006-

She looked so fragile, so unlike a Slayer, to Spike. He wondered what would have happened if he had gotten there five minutes later.

"What if I hadn't been coming back?" He muttered to himself. Buffy, who had seen Spike go after his soul, watched Spike beat himself up over not being there quicker.

"But, Spike, you were there," Dawn said to him. Buffy nodded her head. She was glad that he had come home. Spike had recently developed the uncanny ability to show up when he was needed. Buffy would have to find a way to contact Cordelia and find out if that was part of being a Hunter.

"Mmmooowww," Tish mumbled as she moved slightly on her bed. Her head felt like someone split it with an axe.

"She's awake!" Buffy announced to get the room's attention. Spike shot up to go look at her. The cut on her head had reduced quite a bit in size since the previous day.

"OWW!" Tish screamed as she grabbed her head. Willow joined them.

"Willow what's wrong with her?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know. She should be fine," the redhead responded.

Spike spoke then, "Rook was not human or not completely human. He was doing something demonic with his hand against her temple."

"I'm on it," Dawn started to say and then asked, "Anything else that you noticed?"

Tish screamed a response before Spike could, "PURPLE EYES!" She clutched her head again.

"Dawnie! Hurry!" Buffy instructed. She climbed onto Tish's bed to hold her. The younger girl cried out again. Buffy tried to soothe her; it didn't help. It wasn't long before Tish's eyes glazed over again.

_**Devon held her hands behind her head with one of his own. She tried to use her nails, her teeth, but nothing worked. He used his free hand to remove the last few barriers between them. Devon one-handedly unclasped her bra. It fell to the limousine floor. Tish began to silently cry. His hand went for the full orange silk panties that were blocking him from her. They pulled down her legs quickly and Devon laughed.**_

"_**See, I was meant to go in here," he said to her. It wasn't long before he had removed his own underclothes. Tish cried harder. Devon plunged into her and Tish writhed in pain. It was the worst thing she'd ever felt.**_

"_**Stop…" Tish weeped.**_

"Stop!" Tish screamed in her state.

Angel ran into the room. He had heard the yelling from downstairs. He thought Rook had returned before he could find him. "What's wrong up here?"

"Rook was a demon. He did something to her," Willow explained, "Dawnie is researching it." Angel nodded.

"I'll try and see if I can help her."

* * *

-February 18, 2006-

"Here, here it is," Dawn whispered. She read the passage one more time. It had to be what Rook was. She ran up the stairs, "Buffy! Buffy! I found it!"

Buffy woke to the sound of Dawn's voice proclaiming something. She was disoriented from sleeping in the lounge chair in Tish's room two nights in a row. Guilt made her stay while Angel slept in her room.

"You found something, Dawnie?" She asked as she wiped her eyes.

"Yes, I think Rook was a Tenebrarum Demon. Those are demons of darkness. Once they gain access to your brain, they make you relive your darkest moment. The cut she had was from his initial access. Apparently, they steal a human body. This demon must have known Rook was called as a Hunter. I don't think he was a demon before then, because Kennedy knew him. She said his behavior was more obnoxious than usual. Victims are stuck in their darkest moment until they go crazy enough to kill themselves from the pain…" Dawn finished not as cheerily as she started. She hadn't read the part about the victims before she came up to tell them.

Spike had entered the room sometime in the middle of Dawn's informative speech. "There's nothing else?"

Dawn read some more, "If the victim can conquer their darkest moment, then they have a chance of pulling out of it." It wasn't much to use.

"Alright then, does anyone know Little Slayer's darkest moment?" Spike asked the room. Everyone looked at him surprised. Buffy looked at him curiously. She wondered if he had developed feelings for her younger stepsister. Buffy then thought about his question; she didn't have an answer for him.

"No," they answered in unison. Tish had been living with them for almost three years and no one had bothered to talk to her about important things like this.

"Well, we bloody well figure it out," he stated. Looking at her, Spike climbed onto the bed. He took her hand in his. Her cries eased just a little; Spike took that as a good sign.

"Niblet, bring me a cold, damp towel. Buffy, go with Angel to see if you can find the wanker. Red and Kennedy can see if they can find a spell or something. I'll stay with her," Spike gave orders. Buffy looked at him strangely, but agreed. When Dawn brought him the cloth, he gently caressed Tish's neck and forehead with it. Her sobs continued to die to a small whimper.

"Please stop…" she begged quietly. He wondered what was so horrible that it needed to stop.

"_**Please stop…" Tish pleaded with Devon. He ignored her as he drove harder and faster into her. Her face had two huge bruises on it from where he had hit. When he was finished, he left her lying on the seat. His second set of clothes was in a compartment. He quickly redressed, opened the door, and left her there. She didn't move for hours.**_

"Tish, tell me what it is," Spike prodded. Not knowing whether this would work, he kept trying to talk to her. After twenty minutes of attempting to alleviate the pain for her, her eyes opened normally.

"Spike?" Her voice was weak.

"Yes," whispered Spike.

"What's wrong with me?"

"Rook was killed by a demon after his Hunter activation. The Rook we have here is that demon in Rook's body. When he touched you, he started the cycle of having you relive your darkest moment," Spike explained. Tish started to tense; Spike could see the haze coming back over her eyes. He made an effort to stop it by saying, "Tish, stay with me. Talk to me. Tell me what this dark moment is." His hand held the towel to her forehead. He hoped that it would keep her from falling back into whatever it was.

"It's stronger than I am," she muttered in a fading voice.

"No it's not," Spike said sternly, "Tell me what it's showing you. Try to beat it."

Tish could feel she was slipping again, but tried to focus on Spike's voice. He was asking her to tell him about what she was seeing. Tish couldn't tell him. Her eyes dulled once more.

"Shite!" Spike shouted as he looked down at her.


End file.
